Power car 69 escapes the workshop
We all like making the most of this sunny spell, and our preserved 80 class ‘thumper’ power car No.69 is no exception. She has spent most of the past couple of years sequestered inside our workshop for her bodywork overhaul. However, last Saturday she managed to get out for the first time in a few […]
Scrapping of ex-CIÉ ‘BR Van’ No. 3189
The end finally came for our ex-CIÉ BR Steam Heating Van No. 3189 on the morning of 14th May 2025. After a long service with CIÉ and Iarnród Éireann, 3189 saw out its retirement at Downpatrick from 2007, seeing service as a guard’s van, stores area and generator facility, finally retiring from service at the […]
Successful ballast hoppers and plough van tests in Downpatrick
In a first for railway preservation anywhere in Ireland, we successfully operated an authentic ‘modern’ ballast train at Downpatrick in glorious weather on Saturday 10th May. While a bit shorter than a mainline ballast train, GM loco 146, two Irish Rail hoppers and a plough van are still a genuine combination for this sort of […]
Generator installed in ‘tin van’
A few years ago we acquired four wheel van No.638a (formally No.2971) from Iarnród Éireann for preservation, with a view to converting this vehicle (the last four wheel carriage on the books of IÉ) to a generator van for use on our loco-hauled carriage set (our existing generator vehicle, No.3223, is badly in need of […]
Restoration of carriage from The Quiet Man train continues
A lot of focus lately has been on our new siding project and of course our efforts to restore our 80 class railcar set. However, while all of this has been going on, a small team have been beavering away in the background on the restoration of Great Southern & Western Railway six-wheel carriage No. […]
A busy week of exhibitions for the DCDR team
Despite no trains running, the second week of April proved to be quite a productive one for the DCDR team in terms of promoting our railway, with our stall appearing at two major railway-themed events. DCDR volunteers are model citizens at Bangor show Over the weekend of 12/13th April we attended the North Down Model […]
DCDR Volunteer Shea McKee wins SERC Community Champion Award
Congratulations to Downpatrick & County Down Railway volunteer Shea McKee was crowned SERC Community Champion of the Year 2025 at the South Eastern Regional College Excellence Awards in their Downpatrick Campus on 10th April. A humble volunteer who tends to stay out of the limelight, Shea has been volunteering with the railway since 2022 and […]
DCDR leaders recognised at 3rd Sector Awards
Following on from our success at the Heritage Railway Awards, the DCDR trophy cabinet gained two further additions last week following the CO3 Chief Officers 3rd Sector Awards, which took place at the Europa Hotel in Belfast. Our Chairman Robert Gardiner, and Finance Officer, John Noble, both emerged victorious in their respective categories; Robert being […]
Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea goes down a treat at Downpatrick
On Mother’s Day the Downpatrick & County Down Railway welcomed lots of families aboard to celebrate the occasion with our first ever Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea trains, it certainly seems to have gone down a treat. Two trains operated, with each of them selling out well in advance. Working with local catering provider Mange Tout, […]
Railway volunteers complete ballasting of new siding at Downpatrick
Last Saturday saw our railway’s volunteers complete ballasting on our new siding in Downpatrick yard. This involved the loading of ten loads of stone out near the West Crossover which were then brought into the yard by our road rail dumper, which had to then navigate the yard back and forth to reach the new […]